The UEFA Nations League Returns: What Awaits in 2026-27

What is the UEFA Nations League?

UEFA Nations League was formed in order to minimize the number of unimportant international friendlies. UEFA Nations League provides the national sides of Europe with competitive fixtures against sides of comparable strength. UEFA Nations League features a league format with promotion and relegation of teams from one division to another.

The 2026/27 season will contain another highly awaited series of games between the nations of Europe. The league will be based on the outcomes of the 2024/25 Nations League and UEFA’s competition rules. The upcoming season will not only bring together major teams but will also provide chances for promotion and survival. The schedule will also deliver important matches for teams preparing for future European competitions.

There are several storylines in the upcoming season, as both existing countries and new teams will battle in four tiers. This article will address the format, groups, important dates, matches, fights for promotion, and major teams to watch.

What is special about the fifth edition of the UEFA Nations League in 2026-27?

The league phase will start with a prolonged international window from 24 September to 6 October 2026. In this phase, the teams will generally play four UEFA Nations League matches in close succession.

The 2026/27 UEFA Nations League is expected to be linked to qualification for UEFA Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland. Based on their results, some teams will be given a second chance to enter the play-offs for the final tournament.

UEFA Nations League 2026-27: Event Details

Category	Details
Competition	UEFA Nations League
Edition	2026-27
Edition Number	Fifth
Governing Body	UEFA
League A	16 teams
League B	16 teams
League C	16 teams
League D	6 teams
Total Teams	54
League Phase	September–November 2026
Quarter-finals	March 2027
Finals	June 2027
Previous Champion	Portugal
2026-27 Final Dates	9–13 June 2027
Final Host	Not yet confirmed

Complete UEFA Nations League 2026-27 Groups

League A

Group	Teams
A1	France, Italy, Belgium, Türkiye
A2	Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Greece
A3	Spain, Croatia, England, Czechia
A4	Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Wales

Key storyline

Group A3 looks tough because it contains Spain, England, Croatia, and Czechia. It also brings Spain and England together again after the UEFA EURO 2024 final.

League B

Group	Teams
B1	Scotland, Switzerland, Slovenia, North Macedonia
B2	Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia, Northern Ireland
B3	Israel, Austria, Republic of Ireland, Kosovo
B4	Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Sweden

League C

Group	Teams
C1	Albania, Finland, Belarus, San Marino
C2	Montenegro, Armenia, Cyprus, Latvia
C3	Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Faroe Islands, Moldova
C4	Iceland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Luxembourg

League D

Group	Teams
D1	Gibraltar, Malta, Andorra
D2	Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein

UEFA Nations League 2026-27: Format

UEFA Nations League is divided into four leagues, consisting of a total of 54 national teams. Three leagues, namely Leagues A, B, and C, consist of 16 teams, while League D comprises 6 teams. All teams play home and away matches among themselves in their respective leagues from September to November 2026. League A group winners and runners-up reach the March 2027 quarter-finals.

The four quarter-final winners then qualify for the Nations League Finals. The Finals include two semi-finals, a third-place match and the final. Teams also compete for promotion or face relegation between leagues. Promotion and relegation play-offs are played over two legs in March 2027. The 2026/27 edition will be the final Nations League season with League D.

How will the UEFA Nations League knockout stage work?

The league phase will end in November 2026. The best sides of League A will have the opportunity to qualify for the finals. They will qualify as winners of the quarter-final ties, which take place in March 2027. The finals will again be contested between four teams. The host and the dates of the finals have not been confirmed yet.

How does promotion and relegation work for the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League?

League A

• The group winners and runners-up will move to the quarter-finals.
• The two highest-ranked third-placed teams remain in League A.
• The two lowest-ranked third-placed teams and two highest-ranked fourth-placed teams contest the League A/B play-offs against the four runners-up from League B.
• The two lowest-ranked fourth-placed teams are relegated to League B.

League B

• The group winners are promoted to League A.
• The runners-up contest the League A/B play-offs against the two lowest-ranked third-placed teams and two highest-ranked fourth-placed teams from League A.
• The third-placed teams remain in League B.
• The fourth-placed teams contest the League B/C play-offs against the four runners-up from League C.

League C

• The group winners are promoted to League B.
• The runners-up contest the League B/C play-offs against the fourth-placed teams from League B.
• The third- and fourth-placed teams remain in League C.

 League D

• All teams are promoted to League C.

Complete UEFA Nations League Tournament Timeline

Phase	Stage	Date
League Phase	Matchday 1	24–26 Sep 2026
	Matchday 2	27–29 Sep 2026
	Matchday 3	1–3 Oct 2026
	Matchday 4	4–6 Oct 2026
	Matchday 5	12–14 Nov 2026
	Matchday 6	15–17 Nov 2026
League A quarter-finals and League A/B and B/C play-offs	Quarter-finals	25–30 Mar 2027
	First Leg Play-offs	25– 27 Mar 2027
	Second Leg Play-offs	28–30 Mar 2027
Finals	Semi-finals	9-10 June 2027
	Third Place play-off	13 Jun 2027
	Nations League Finals

Connection to UEFA EURO 2028

The 2026/27 Nations League is expected to have a connection with UEFA EURO 2028 qualification. UEFA states that Nations League results will give some teams a second opportunity to enter the EURO 2028 play-offs.

However, this is pending the formal approval of the format and regulations of UEFA Euro 2028.

Where can I watch the UEFA Nations League 2026-27?

Participating country	League	Broadcast partner(s)
France	A	la chaine L’Équipe, TF1+
Italy	A	RAI PLAY, Mediaset, Sky Italia
Belgium	A	VTM GO
Türkiye	A	S Sport TV, ATV
Germany	A	DAZN, DasErste, RTL+, ZDF sportstudio
Netherlands	A	Ziggo Sport, NOS
Serbia	A	RTS Serbia, Arena Sport
Greece	A	NOVA Greece, Alpha TV
Spain	A	RTVE PLAY
Croatia	A	gol
England	A	ITV1
Czechia	A	CT Sport, Sport1 TV
Portugal	A	RTP, Sport TV Portugal
Denmark	A	TV2 PLAY
Norway	A	TV 2 Play
Wales	A	S4C
Scotland	A	BBC iPlayer
Switzerland	B	Play RSI, Play RTS, Play SRF, DAZN
Slovenia	B	Sportklub
North Macedonia	B	MRT Play, Arena Sport
Sweden	B	Viaplay
Poland	B	Polsat Box Go, TVP Sport
Bosnia and Herzegovina	B	MY TV, BHRT, Arena Sport
Romania	B	Antena 1, Digi Sport, Clever Media
Austria	B	ORF ON, PULS 4, DAZN
Ukraine	B	Megogo
Switzerland	B	Play RSI, Play RTS, Play SRF, DAZN
Israel	B	Sport1, The Sports Channel
Ireland	B	RTÉ, Virgin Media Ireland
Georgia	B	Channel1, SILK GO
Northern Ireland	B	BBC iPlayer
Hungary	B	M4 Sport Online, TV2 Play, NET4+
Scotland	B	BBC iPlayer
Slovakia	B	STVR Sport online, Sport1 TV
Kosovo	B	Artmotion
Albania	C	Digitalb, TV Klan
Finland	C	MTV Katsomo, Yle A
Belarus	C	Broadcast partner not listed separately in supplied source
San Marino	C	RAI PLAY, RTV San Marino, Mediaset
Montenegro	C	RTCG, Arena Sport
Armenia	C	Fast TV, First Channel of Public TV Company of Armenia
Cyprus	C	CyBC, Cytavision
Latvia	C	Go3, LTV7
Faroe Islands	C	TV2 PLAY, KVF
Moldova	C	TRM
Kazakhstan	C	QAZSPORT
Slovakia	C	STVR Sport online, Sport1 TV
Iceland	C	Viaplay, Vefsjónvarp Sýnar
Bulgaria	C	gong.bg, MAX One
Estonia	C	Go3, ERR
Luxembourg	C	RTL Luxembourg
Gibraltar	D	Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation
Malta	D	TVMSPORT
Andorra	D	TF1+, la chaine L’Équipe, RTVE PLAY
Liechtenstein	D	Liechtensteiner Landeskanal
Lithuania	D	Go3, LRT
Azerbaijan	D	CBC Sport

Other Countries and its Platforms

Broadcast platform	countries
Sony Sports Network	India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
DAZN	Germany, Austria, Switzerland
la chaine L’Équipe / TF1+	France, Monaco, Andorra
Go3	Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Arena Sport	Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Viaplay	Sweden, Iceland
TV2 / TV2 Play	Denmark, Norway, Faroe Islands
Sport1 TV	Czechia, Slovakia
RAI / Mediaset	Italy, San Marino
RTVE PLAY	Spain, Andorra
DStv Stream	Several African territories
beIN connect	Several Middle Eastern and North African territories
Disney+	Several Latin American territories
FOX Sports / FuboTV / ViX	United States and selected territories
Bluu	Several Caribbean territories
Digicel TV	Several Pacific territories

Territory-Specific Broadcast Options

Home nation	Broadcast option
England	ITV1
Scotland	BBC iPlayer
Wales	S4C
Northern Ireland	BBC iPlayer
Other matches	Prime Video UK

Key Matches to watch in the upcoming weeks

Netherlands vs Germany – 24 September 2026 — Group A2

This is one of the opening-night headline fixtures. UEFA specifically highlights the match and notes that it marks new managerial eras for both teams.

England vs Spain – 26 September 2026 — Group A3

This is arguably the most recognizable early fixture. It reunites the teams that contested the UEFA EURO 2024 final.

Belgium vs France – 28 September 2026 — Group A1

This is another major Group A1 clash. France and Belgium also arrive with new managerial storylines according to UEFA’s preview.

Italy vs France – 12 November 2026 — Group A1

This is an important Matchday 5 fixture. The teams were also drawn together in the 2024/25 Nations League. Now, this makes it another notable meeting between two major European national teams.

Spain vs England – 15 November 2026 — Group A3

The reverse fixture takes place on Matchday 6. That gives you an excellent opportunity to discuss how the two teams’ campaigns develop across the league phase.

Germany vs Netherlands – 16 November 2026 — Group A2

The second meeting between the teams is set for the final matchday. This could be an important closing match in Group A2 according to the seeding at that point.

Worth looking out for

With 19 goals, Erling Haaland is four clear at the top of the competition’s all-time top scorer rankings. Promoted to League A in the last edition with Norway, he will look to keep scoring against Portugal, Denmark and Wales.

Viktor Gyökeres was the top scorer in the 2024/25 edition of the Nations League. As his Sweden side earned promotion from League C. Will the Arsenal man’s goals help them make the step up to League A this time?

The Faroe Islands will look to do more than hold their own against Kazakhstan, Slovakia and Moldova in Group C3. Having avoided the drop in 2024/25, they took an impressive 12 points in the European Qualifiers for the World Cup.

What to expect from the New Season?

1. A packed opening window

Teams play four matches between late September and early October.

2. Major teams meet early

Spain–England, Netherlands–Germany and Belgium–France give the opening weeks several major fixtures.

3. Promotion becomes especially important

The movement between leagues is connected to UEFA’s transition to the 2028/29 structure.

4. Portugal begins as defending champions

Portugal won the 2024/25 edition after beating Spain on penalties in the final.

5. The road to June

The league phase determines which eight League A teams enter the quarter-finals, with four eventually reaching the June finals.

Why is Russia not participating in the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League?

The Russian team has been barred from taking part in the 2026-27 Nations League tournament. Since its teams have been suspended from all UEFA and FIFA tournaments. This was due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the suspension continues till further notice. Therefore, Russia has not been included among the teams for the 2026-27 Nations League tournament.

Conclusion

The 2026/27 UEFA Nations League is more than another international tournament. The delivers the combination of a compressed league phase, major European rivalries, promotion and relegation battles. The transition toward the 2028/29 format and the route to the June finals give the competition several storylines.